Mary Moore

Mary Ann Moore (born July 7, 1932) is a former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League infielder. Listed at 5' 5", 145 lb., Moore batted and threw right handed. She was dubbed 'Sis' by her teammates.

Mary Moore played in the All-American League from 1950 through 1952 before a series of injuries hampered her career.

Life and career Born in Detroit, Michigan, Moore was 15 when she started to play fastpitch softball for the Wyandotte Chemicals team in a Michigan industrial league. She later graduated from Lincoln Park High School in 1950. She got her chance to play through an English teacher at her high school who introduced her to a former All-American League player, Doris Neal. As a result, Mary led the Sallies in games played (77), hits (75), runs batted in (48), total bases (95) and walks (61), while hitting three home runs and scoring 65 runs to also lead the team. But her greatest thrill on the tour was playing in Yankee Stadium and meeting Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Billy Martin and Phil Rizzuto, among other Yankees legends. Moore was aware of that and felt better. Therefore, the injury did not stop her from going to spring training four months later.

The determined Moore practiced with the Belles at training camp but team officials decided she was not ready to start the 1951 season. Towards the end of the season, she got a call to join the team when its lineup was depleted due to injuries. She appeared in a few games and retained her rookie status. She became a regular in 1952, but her injured hand hindered her development. Then, during the midseason she sprained her right ankle while sliding into second base and her season was over. Moore was offered a contract to return to following season but she decided not to go back to the league. Moore was disappointed by her limited playing time due to her injuries, as she explained in an interview with historian W. C. Madden. It was a hard decision because she loved to play baseball.